Treat Accessibly Expands to 19 Canadian Cities for Its Ninth Year
Now in its ninth year, the Treat Accessibly movement is bringing accessible Halloween trick-or-treating to 19 cities and towns across seven Canadian provinces, including dedicated events in Moncton, N.B., and Halifax, N.S.
The Treat Accessibly movement is marking its ninth year by expanding to 19 cities and towns across seven Canadian provinces. The organization arranges events designed to enable children with mobility, sensory, and neurological disabilities to participate in Halloween festivities.
Rich Padulo founded Treat Accessibly in 2017 after his six-year-old daughter asked how a child using a wheelchair could trick-or-treat at their home. Since then, the initiative has grown to organize events for children of all abilities, allowing parents to avoid worrying about accessibility barriers like stairs and closed doors while facilitating social interaction for children who may not typically speak to strangers.
In Moncton, New Brunswick, the Resurgo Place museum hosts the province's only Treat Accessibly Halloween Village. At this location, children visit decorated community stations inside the museum rather than facing stairs or closed doors.
In Nova Scotia, Southampton Drive in Cole Harbour, Halifax, has been designated as an official Treat Accessibly Halloween street. On Halloween night beginning at 4 p.m., 22 homes on Southampton Drive will bring treats to the end of their driveways.